Delhi High Court pauses Bombay Shaving Company’s revised Switch ad

MUMBAI: The razor sharpness has moved from the bathroom shelf to the courtroom, with the Delhi High Court directing Bombay Shaving Company (BSC) not to run its revised Switch advertisement until the next hearing. The court observed that it was prima facie of the view that there was “no perceptible difference in the impact” of the revised advertisement compared with the original creative. However, it did not decide at this stage whether the advertisement amounts to disparagement.

The latest direction follows an earlier dispute between BSC and Gillette over the Switch advertisement. BSC had released a revised version after the court’s earlier intervention, seeking to address concerns raised during the proceedings.

During the latest hearing, the court stopped short of making a finding on the underlying disparagement issue. Instead, it directed BSC to place its response on record before the matter is considered further.

BSC has been given one week to file its reply, following which Gillette will file its rejoinder. The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing again on 6 November 2026.

The interim direction means the revised Switch creative cannot be run in the meantime. The court’s observation on the similarity in impact is preliminary and does not amount to a final finding that the advertisement is disparaging.

The dispute therefore remains very much in the lather, with the next round set to turn on BSC’s response and Gillette’s subsequent rejoinder rather than a final ruling on the advertisement itself.